This is 20-year-old paralyzed driver Michael Johnsona young man who has been racing something, of some kind, with at least two wheels on it since he was three years old.

Michael was paralyzed during a motorcycle flat track racing accident when he was 12 years old. The injury broke his back and permanently put him in a wheel chair. With little to no feeling from his torso to his legs, Michael has had an uphill battle to get his break in motorsport. Using a customized steering wheel with hand controls Michael started racing go karts and fell in love with racing all over again.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

2 of 24

"Jamey Price"

Photos: Michael Johnson - Page 3

Much of the time before and after track sessions is spent in the garage area with Michael's family and team mechanics, as well as his personal trainer. It was Michael's father that originally came up with the design to build the steering wheel which Michael now uses.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

3 of 24

"Jamey Price"

Photos: Michael Johnson - Page 4

Using a throttle lever on the left side of the wheel Michael is able to accelerate the car progressively and accurately. Braking is accomplished by pushing forward on the wheel. It's complex and physical task, but the device that the Johnson's built is something they can be proud of as this has not been done before in an open wheel race car. The downside of the system is that it requires so much customization to the car that the team must purchase their cars in full and the cars are essentially unsellable after the modifications.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

4 of 24

"Jamey Price"

Photos: Michael Johnson - Page 5

Despite their reluctance to let Michael return to such dangerous sport, he says his family has been extremely supportive in helping him see out his goals of racing professionally. Michael's ability to progress has been in large part due to his father's love for racing; but his story has not been without struggle to keep pace. Adapting to braking and downshifting through a steering wheel of a formula car has made for a steep learning curve, and though Michael believes his talent as a young bike racer has given him the knowledge and skills to control a car well, it continues to be something he will learn about each and every time he steps in the car.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

5 of 24

"Jamey Price"

Photos: Michael Johnson - Page 6

It's practice one on Friday morning at Mid Ohio and the USF2000 cars are lined up on pit lane waiting for the track to go green. The second he steps into the car, you can see the determination and focus in Michael's eyes. Here he isn't a disabled young man. He's as motivated as any racing driver on Earth.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

6 of 24

"Jamey Price"

Photos: Michael Johnson - Page 7

Michael's first practice session is spent getting to know the track: Where to brake, how much to brake when he gets there and the use of the accelerator. Putting in as many laps as possible in the short sessions is crucial. With only one practice session before qualifying this weekend followed by three races it is vital that Michael comes to grips quickly with the track and the car.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

7 of 24

"Jamey Price"

Photos: Michael Johnson - Page 8

Michael's lap times drop throughout the session, progress that is validated in his post race chat with driver coach Stephen Simpson. Stephen and Michael go over every single lap, corner in detail and watch the onboard footage from the session. Stephen was impressed with the times Michael posted at the end of the practice. It's a good start to the weekend.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

8 of 24

"Jamey Price"

Photos: Michael Johnson - Page 9

The Friday afternoon driver's meeting to goes into race procedures and reminders for everyone to keep their heads on straight for the first race the next morning. It's all part of the learning process for these young drivers. Even though most of the information is repeated week after week, there are important things to note with each gathering.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

9 of 24

"Jamey Price"

Photos: Michael Johnson - Page 10

Racing in a support series on a major race weekend has it's benefits. Michael spent Friday afternoon with two of his fellow JDC teammates talking with Indycar fans and having a laugh in the Mid Ohio infield. Though they race in the lowest level series on the Road to Indy ladder, Mazda sees these guys as the future of racing and teaches them to interact with media and fans.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

10 of 24

"Jamey Price"

Photos: Michael Johnson - Page 11

Following a penalty during qualifying, Michael was forced to start toward the back of the grid. So the first race of the day on Saturday was already off to a difficult start, but to make matters worse, a rainy morning made conditions near impossible for the young drivers in USF2000. With a total of three racing laps completed during the entire race, and the rest of it spent idling along behind the safety car, it was a race to forget for everyone. But there was still something gained from it. Because of how few sessions USF2000 drivers have in the car, Michael says every lap is important.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

11 of 24

"Jamey Price"

Photos: Michael Johnson - Page 12

In addition to his family, Michael has physical therapist and personal trainer Josh Gibbs at every race. Josh and Michael have a close relationship and spend a lot of time stretching, exercising, and hand cycling.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

12 of 24

"Jamey Price"

Photos: Michael Johnson - Page 13

Michael believes his race endurance and cardio is superior to that of many other drivers because of how hard he has to train to control the car entirely via the steering wheel. Interestingly, he is sure that his being a racing driver is also helping his overall recovery and rehabilitation. He has regained feeling to parts of his legs and credits that to the vibrations and jostling he gets on the race track going in excess of 100mph. The increased blood flow, combined with a stem cell surgery he had in 2009 has seen his recovery progress by leaps and bounds.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

13 of 24

"Jamey Price"

Photos: Michael Johnson - Page 14

It's hard to ever find Michael not smiling. His attitude is infectious and clearly enjoys what he does. He is almost always around the car and working with the team, but when he isn't he's getting a lift back to the side of the track to watch the other series' practice. Michael has already secured a Pro Mazda drive for 2014, which is the next series up in the Mazda Road to Indy ladder. Michael believes the car will suit him much better than the current USF2000 chassis.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

14 of 24

"Jamey Price"

Photos: Michael Johnson - Page 15

Michael is very involved with his team, talking with his teammates, mechanics and JDC Racing owner John Church frequently throughout the day. It's a process he enjoys. Understanding what the car is doing is vital to helping him improve his race craft and lap times.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

15 of 24

"Jamey Price"

Photos: Michael Johnson - Page 16

Michael loves what racing has given him. He says he tries to be positive, and to interact with fans as much as he can. He also engages with children's hospitals through several of his sponsors. Michael's interaction with the Indycar teams and drivers have also inspired him to keep pushing. His goal is to eventually run in the Indy 500; but for the short term, he will be graduating to the Pro Mazda series in 2014 and hopefully sneak in some sports car racing in the coming years.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

16 of 24

"Jamey Price"

Photos: Michael Johnson - Page 17

Come saturday afternoon, it's time for the second of three races. With the rain cleared away from the first race, Michael can apply his experience from practice and qualifying sessions and hopefully have a solid race performance around the roller coaster of Mid Ohio.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

17 of 24

"Jamey Price"

Photos: Michael Johnson - Page 18

Michael's overall race pace and race craft was exceptional during the second of the three races. His lap times were better than that of his more experienced teammates and were consistent with the rest of the field.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

18 of 24

"Jamey Price"

Photos: Michael Johnson - Page 19

After Michael finishes with his driving coach, team owner John Church and Michael go over telemetry data and what parts of the car Michael thinks can be changed to improve his pace for the final race using data from the previous sessions. Every detail is important.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

19 of 24

"Jamey Price"

Photos: Michael Johnson - Page 20

Michael's knowledge of racing, experience in the car and his maturity make it easy to forget he is still a relative rookie to car racing. Some corners are perfect and others aren't. Stephen and Michael analyze data that helps Michael understand where he can gain time and where he is losing time to his competitors.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

20 of 24

"Jamey Price"

Photos: Michael Johnson - Page 21

With work done for the day, Michael can relax a bit. On many race weekends, his grandfather drives the family RV to the track where they enjoy the weekend with all the amenities of home. The RV becomes a home base where Michael can sit and go over data, watch onboard camera footage or just relax and enjoy the race track atmosphere.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

21 of 24

"Jamey Price"

Photos: Michael Johnson - Page 22

After this short pre-race prayer, Michael fires the engine and sets out onto the track.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

22 of 24

"Jamey Price"

Photos: Michael Johnson - Page 23

It's apparent that Michael has the respect of everyone he meets; but he still has to get the job done, and his competitors aren't simply going to move over for him. Nor would he want them to. Despite the friendliness and shared respect around the paddock, things don't always go to plan.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

23 of 24

"Jamey Price"

Photos: Michael Johnson - Page 24

Before Michael could even take the green flag to start the race he was hit from behind by another car. A broken suspension with a tire facing sideways is not the way you want to leave things at the race track. Fortunately, Michael and all the other drivers involved with the pre-race pileup were uninjured. Michael remains unshaken with his goals. After a post race viewing of his onboard camera, and a chat with his driving coach Stephen, it was clear Michael had done nothing wrong and that the incident was just bad racing luck.

Advertisement - Continue Reading Below

24 of 24

"Jamey Price"

Photos: Michael Johnson - Page 25

If you take anything away from meeting Michael, or hearing his story, its that you can do whatever you want. Michael took the cards life and dealt him and is doing things most of us could never dream of, and with a better attitude than most of us have on the best of days. No one is alone in hoping to see Michael running in the Indy 500, because no one deserves it more than he does.

A Part of Hearst Digital Media
Road & Track participates in various affiliate marketing programs, which means we may get paid commissions on editorially chosen products purchased through our links to retailer sites.